No one really knew what to expect out of this project, and I think it's safe to say that Permanence exceeds expectations.

I will simply say, if you are a young person who is unsure or drifting by in any way, give Holy Shit a chance. Scream along. Feel better. Live your life the way you find most wonderful.

Wether or not Little Red is better than On A Mission is up for debate; the former is a much more consistent and even listen, but the latter features much higher highs and lower lows.

FreeBase may not find 2 Chainz making any big leaps forward, but what it does offer is a refinement of some of the things people love from 2 Chainz. The beats are top shelf, his flow is versatile but never overly complex, and his lyrics are humorous, if a little unremarkable.

Cadillactica very rarely falls short of its goals, and the few throwaway tracks are unobtrusive enough to not take anything away from the record.

The record isn't bad, it's actually enjoyable. But the band has continued in its trend toward becoming more of a hard rock band and less of the punk icon it used to be.

Damnesia satiates the appetite fans have for new material (as well as washing away the disappointing taste of 2010's This Addiction) while proving that an old band can still do new tricks.

Pleasant Living is anything but a happy album, but that doesn’t mean it can’t point us in the direction of better times.

A multitude of outrageous pieces that form a solid whole.

While the disc is certainly enjoyable in its own write, Terror doesn’t seem to be out to re-invent the wheel--but perhaps refine the vehicle they drive it on.

A shake up in the lyric department would be nice to see next time around, but on this outing Lana Del Rey is able to sell it with striking vocal performances and breathtaking compositions.

While the production may not be as exciting as the first serving, it helps to connect Goblin's deeper meanings with their formation on Bastard.

I've expressed a fair amount of negativity toward Euphoric Heartbreak, but Glasvegas are an endearing, though a bit try-hard, band, and Euphoric Heartbreak is an endearing, though a bit try-hard, album.

There are far less cringe-worthy lyrics, and a sound that seems far more natural for the band as a whole.

Out of Love is old-timey, fun (yet dark), and deep enough to merit sinking your teeth into it a bit.

It's a decent addition to the artist's already impressive resume, but fails to arrest the same attention his earlier releases are famous for.

What draws me most to Lisbon is the exciting reinventions on the band's own formula.

While there is some filler, some of the best Cancer Bats songs can be found here and that alone makes this worth checking out, even if it isn’t a gigantic departure.

It's not that All at Once isn't a likable record; it just seems rather scattershot, and none of it captures the hard-hitting intensity of their debut's best cuts.

Though it is far from perfect and has far more filler than one would hope, North is indeed a fine effort.

Of course, it could have potentially been trimmed down and rearranged slightly more efficiently, but for an official debut full-length, it's a wonderful achievement and a more than worthy listen.

The Dark Leaves is no less unassuming than anything else they've released, and about half of it is squarely in line with the material on their recent albums.

Showroom of Compassion, is an amiable disc, even somewhat pleasant, but entirely too much of the effort feels tepid, ho-hum and downright uninspired.

The full blown cathartic experience that many savor through a live set sometimes mishits on the album, but not so much to be trash-bin worthy.

As a complete work, Stone Temple Pilots is sturdy and probably more surprising for the fact that it was ever made than for its actual contents.

DSOL speaks the dirty rocker punk kvlt language that could put Pantera and Gallows fans side by side.

Morning Phase actually matches Sea Change in melodic beauty, and it might even surpass it in production quality, but the cryptic, repetitious lyrics of songs like “Blackbird Chain” and “Heart is a Drum” fall so far short of the devastating heartbreak that Beck wove on songs like “Guess I’m Doing Fine” and “Lost Cause” that it’s impossible to see this record ever achieving the classic status of its predecessor.

While they don't throw any curveballs or stir the pot too much, the band definitely stays true to their core, crafting yet another memorable piano pop-rock record with these stories.

He still lacks the kind of technical rapping skill that made A$AP Rocky reach star status. Regardless, A$AP Ferg has constructed an album that surpasses the quality of Rocky's Long.Live.A$AP from earlier this year.

So make no mistake, Rolling Papers is unquestionably slick pop-rap candy, and there's nothing substantive to be found beneath the choking shroud of weed smoke.

This is an album for the Spotify era--a disparate collection of eleven singles, with no unifying message or even common mindset I can discern.

All told, it’s a solid record with no glaring weak points (a first for the Foo Fighters) and with some of the band’s more rewarding and adventurous songwriting.

The New Sidewalk isn’t their great album, but it’s undoubtedly a stepping stone on the way there.

For the band's loyal fanbase, Everybody's Coming Down proves an experimental but mostly successful step further down a path of fuzzy, theatrical rock and roll.

While their third record The Wack Album may be the group’s weakest effort to date, it still shows off their abilities as hook writers and as the preeminent hip-hop satirists in today’s industry.

If the whole record were as explosive as these final two songs, it might have been Switchfoot’s best. As is, Fading West feels like a somewhat minor release from a band that has never lacked for dependability.

Return to the Moon is far from disappointing. More accurately, it is a scattershot collection of unique sonic experiments and National-esque B-sides that are unlikely to sway opinions of Berninger's primary outlet either way.

No, this is not his strongest work to date, but it certainly keeps him in the conversation.

For the most part, Ghost on Ghost is a good record that disappoints because we know its creator is capable of something more powerful.

Then Came the Morning is still a solid next step for a promising young band. The songs are catchy and memorable, the musicianship is impeccable, and the production... well, suffice to say that Aaron Dessner should soon find himself an in-demand producer in the folk/Americana world.

The Terror is a frightening trip, a fantastically cohesive album, and one that could have benefited greatly from a bit more editing and perhaps a little better track sequencing.

In comparison with the current post-rock landscape, it's largely uninteresting, but in creating a palatable easy-listening experience, it's a definite success. Like its predecessors, though, this is one story that's probably best told at bedtime.

The recorded calls between Ty and his brother that crop up repeatedly develop their characters while the story, for T.C. at least, remains stagnant. Free T.C. places an emphasis on the intimate, human relationship between these two men.

He has done his best to deliver the kind of care-free, gaudy rap album that will be blaring from the speakers of house parties everywhere for months to come, and B.O.A.T.S. II #METIME readily delivers on that promise.

Once again, they have created an album that sounds very little like their past recordings and yet still sounds exactly like The Twilight Sad.

El Pintor is a well-produced album that proves Interpol are still a quality band, even without the extreme hype to back them.

Lowborn is a fairly strong record on a song-for-song basis, and the added emotional heft of it being a swansong helps to elevate it above the weaker entries in the band’s catalog--even despite its numerous issues.

What we're left with is an album that sounds like something of an identity crisis. It's far from a total loss and there is much here that is definitely worth revisiting in that old reliable Avett Brothers sort of way.

There’s still a great album somewhere in this Philly quintet and we hear flashes of it throughout.

Overall, the Recover EP is a perfect stepping stone in Chvrches’ brick road.

While Four Year Strong will never be the band that wrote Rise Or Die Trying again, they prove on their new self-titled record that they have bigger steps ahead than the ones they left behind.

Hawthorne Heights gets better with every release, and Zero is their best effort yet. The band has honed their talents and refined their music nearly enough to be a different band, and one that sounds better than ever before.

By broadening the themes, growing up a bit, and going deeper, 25 hits upon some truly transcendent moments—moments that deserve the millions of lives they'll soundtrack. It's just hard to fully praise an album that stops feeling like an album three-quarters of the way through.

When combined with crisp guitar work, meaty bass lines, and thunderous drumming, the screams fire bullets against the enemy track after track, and unlike with Attack Attack's This Means War, Memphis May Fire are winning the battle with Challenger.

The beauty of a record like I’ll Be The Tornado, which spends so much time in the devastating minutiae of heartbreak and pain, is its realization that the bad can still do lots and lots of good. It’s a fairy tale thought to think that life won’t get in a gut punch or two, and Dads have made a record that revels in failure for truly triumphant results.

This album may be a step up from his previous outing, 2012's God Forgives, I Don't, but Mastermind hints that the Rick Ross story may have nowhere else to go.

This Addiction promises exactly what the title describes, as most older fans will eat this up.

This is one of the better electro-pop albums of 2011, one that will stimulate your senses and rope you in with its instantaneous catchiness.

Unfortunately, the album delivers nothing remotely as snappy as Furr's more immediate sonic treats and there are only a scant few moments when it seems to aim at serving up anything more than your garden variety folk-rock songs.

For a group of guys who are now 22 years on from their debut album and 15 years past their prime as one of the biggest and most important groups in rock ‘n’ roll, Lightning Bolt is a strikingly stellar set of songs that belies the band’s democratic nature.

Wake Up starts with six successive titanic efforts is commendable but also somewhat disappointing. On the second half of the LP, the formula remains the same.

Temples are a promising band that definitely has a great record--or perhaps several--in them, but this one isn’t quite it. It certainly does make for a colorful and fun listen though, so just unplug and enjoy the ride.

Champ as a whole isn't the most coherent album I've ever heard, and a maturing sound isn't the easiest thing to develop and capture on a record.

They are still a force to be reckoned with and they still write some of the best and most beautiful instrumental music but without a small revolution in sound; their catalogue will (albeit, beautifully) end up blending together like one long song.

Home is an ambitious effort that veers in several stylistic directions. Sometimes it's terrific, and sometimes it stumbles.

All Time Low made the catchiest record possible and have their fingers crossed for airplay in the upcoming months. For those who accept it, Dirty Work will be a staple in their summer playlist.

With brilliant production from the likes of No I.D., Kanye West, and The Neptunes as well as an amazing supporting cast of lyricists, Sean has crafted an exceptional debut album without losing the charm of his comparably solid mixtapes.

With a few more tracks, Hell: The Sequel would have been a fantastic record. But as an EP, a few of its faults are hard to hide.

It all adds up to a solid release that is suited better for the radio than it is among your hardcore collection.

While Story of the Year won't win any originality awards any time soon, they definitely still know how to bring a party to your speakers.

Even though this isn't peak Chiodos (yet), Devil has the band on the right path to reclaiming the the top spot of the scene food chain sooner rather than later.

While it may not always work out in his favor, the high points here far outweigh the lows, and the takeaway from At.Long.Last.A$AP should be that Rocky is on his way to something even better once he finds his footing.

For a record that trades heavily in production experiments foreign to both parties, Royksopp and Robyn by and large succeed at creating what they set out to--a monument.

Within its contents the album very much feels like the debut record from a solo artist trying to feel things out on his own as a songwriter.

Overall, it's a palatable mix of retro-leaning metal that's suitable for headbanging or playing air-guitar but doesn't cover much new ground.

If you're looking for a solid heavy record to give a spin, give The Hollow a chance.

While fans of the band's previous albums might find fault in Last Night on Earth's less cluttered, electronica-tinged songwriting, it is Fink's simple songs and flexible voice that carry the most enjoyment.

While Sea Lions blow through fifteen songs in less than a half-hour, it's startling how nice they all sound as they fly by, and even more so how little remains in memory even a few seconds after the last sweetly chiming note fades into silence.

It is a testament to Devine’s self-awareness of his ability as a songwriter that Bulldozer is not bloated to compensate for its lighter fare, and he sticks the landing with aplomb.

This album is mostly just a fun side project for the band before they start plugging away at the next full length, and it should be taken as such.

The first few tracks of the release are pleasant, everything is undermined by the last half.

t may take a few albums for him to perfect the new sound, and we should expect that, keeping in mind that when he does, the results may very well be awe-inspiring. At the moment, however, Kiss Each Other Clean just isn't there yet.

Rescue is certainly highlighted by its quality tracks, but there is unfortunately a fair amount of filler in what proves to be a merely decent release by this band.

If you want to relax and mindlessly sing along with some super fun pop-punk tunes, Safeways Here We Come has got you covered. Just don't expect anything more.

From the onset, it's apparent Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang is meant to be a nostalgic look back on the Wu's glory days.

Trill O.G. is a decidedly clashing album. Bun B's old school tendencies are constantly at odds with genre conventions prevalent in today's scene. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn't.

Basically, Fortress will surprise some and maybe even anger others. But with the right Feel Good mindset, it can be a wonderful journey through the mind of some a.) interesting people or b.) interestingly intoxicated people. Plus, there are boobs on the cover.

Strange Negotiations may take some time to grow on even the most die-hard of Bazan's fans, but the roots of its few standouts run deep with repeated listens.

Full of heart and soul, it's clear the band is putting in a daily grind and continue to impress in terms of ability & energy - it simply lacks the hooks, the feeling and everything we've previously seen in stellar fashion from a legendary band.

It's ... very much worth your while. Many bands should wish that their most impressive work was as good as Motion City Soundtrack's least impressive.

Williams seems to have mostly left behind the beach motif and the surf vibes for straight 90s alt-rock, and more often than not it works for him, but a few songs here (“Dog,” “Everything Is My Fault,” “I Can’t Dream”) fall flat on their face.

Gravity The Seducer has its fair share of tremendous moments, but unfortunately those moments begin to lose their gloss when entangled with fragments of inconveniently placed filler.

A good, solid, rock album that's certainly worthy of Four Year Strong's song writing talents.

Oceania lacks the emotional force that it needed to transcend what it is: a former rock star trying to sound vital again.

119 is more concerned about power flexing than it is being simple, fast, direct, and catchy (and there are way less 30-second spurts than before); it has a hefty presence of East Coast ferocity, and Spielman's signature chokehold commands the band's socio-political magnitude more than ever.

If anything, Tha Carter IV feels like a party, one that Wayne is throwing for his contemporaries in the hip-hop scene.

Go With Me certainly isn't a bad record by any means, but it just doesn't have the originality and lasting value that will keep people coming back for repeat listens.